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Research Facilities

The Superconductivity and Magnetism Group has a suite of state-of-the-art equipment that is operated and maintained by the Group. This apparatus is used for:

These facilities are available for use by members of the Department, the University, and, through collaborations, by external users.

If you would like to know more please contact a member of the Superconductivity and Magnetism Group (please see listings below).

During the course of our research work we also make regular use of a number of Central Facilities here in the UK and abroad.


Equipment List and Specifications

Sample Preparation Facilities
Equipment
Specifications
External users 
Status

Crystal Systems Incorporated F-ZT-10000-H-IV-VPS infra red image furnace.

4 mirror furnace. Max. operating temperature 2000 ºC. Chamber can be pumped to 10-6 mbar using a turbo pump and then filled with O2, Ar, CO or various specific gas mixtures up to pressures of 10 atm.

Contact GB for further details.

Operational.

Crystal Systems Incorporated FZ-T-12000-X-VI-VP Xenon lamp image furnace.

4 mirror furnace. Max. operating temperature 2800 ºC. Chamber can be pumped to 10-6 mbar using a turbo pump and then filled with O2, Ar, CO or various specific gas mixtures up to pressures of 10 atm.

Contact GB for further details.

Operational.
Canon Machinery SC1-MD11020 infra red image furnace. 2 mirror furnace. Max. operating temperature 2000 ºC. Contact GB for further details. Operational.
A Cyberstar(France) Czochralski tetra arc furnace. For the growth of metallic and intermetallic single crystals.

Contact GB for further details.

Operational.
Argon shielded tri arc furnace. Thoriated tungsten electrodes. Samples up to 8 cm in length and 1 cm in diameter prepared under 1 atm. flowing Ar gas.

Contact GB for further details.

Operational.
3 tube furnaces. Max. temperature 1600 ºC. Treatment under flowing gases.   Booking sheets open.
3 box furnaces. Max. temperature 1600 ºC.   Booking sheets open.
2 annealing tube furnaces. Max. temperature 1000 ºC.   Booking sheets open.
4 three zone furnaces. Each zone is controlled separately with a max. operating temperature of up to 1200 ºC.   Booking sheets open.
Philips PW1730 X-ray generator with Photonic-Science real time Laue system. Photonic-Science high resolution Laue X-ray imaging system with Newport goniometer; Philips x-ray generator with Mo tube.

Contact Oleg Petrenko for further details.

Booking sheets open.

 

Laboratory Measurement and Characterization Apparatus
Equipment
Specifications
External users
Status 

Quantum Design MPMS 5S SQUID magnetometer.

{M vs. T or M vs. H}

±5 T magnet. T range 1.8 to 400 K. Sensitivity 5×10-7 emu. Maximum sample size ~5×5×5 mm3 and 3 emu.

The system has an ultra-low field and an ac option.

Contact MRL

Booking sheets open.

Quantum Design MPMS XL7 SQUID magnetometer.

{M vs. T or M vs. H}

±7 T magnet. T range 1.8 to 400 K with oven option to 800 K. Sensitivity 5×10-7 emu. Maximum calibrated sample size ~9 mm and 5 emu.

System includes transverse moment detection system and sample rotators.

Contact MRL

Booking sheets open.

IQ2000-AGHS-2RSO Helium-3 system.

{M vs. T or M vs. H}

T range 480 mK to 1.8 K, background 2×10-4 emu at 5 T.

Used in conjunction with 7 T QD MPMS SQUID magnetometer.

Contact MRL

Ready for use.

easyLab Mcell10 pressure cell: used in conjunction with our SQUID magnetometers.

Single wall cell. Hydrostatic pressures of 10 kbar. Sample space (1.9 mm diameter and 10 mm long). With automatic background subtraction min. sample signal ~1×10-5 emu.

See MRL Ready for use.

Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) (#1).

{C vs. T or H}

±9 T magnet. Heat capacity measurements using a relaxation method over the T range 1.8 to 400 K. Base temperature 300 mK with He-3 insert and 50 mK with dilution refrigerator option. Contact MRL

Booking sheets open.

Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS) (#2).

{Rac and Rdc) vs. T, H, or P}

{S and K vs. T or H}

±9 T magnet, T range 1.8 to 400 K. Transport measurement:

AC transport option allows AC and DC resistivity, 4 and 5 wire balanced Hall effect and I-V curve measurements.

Thermal transport option allows measurements of thermal conductance K and Seebeck coefficient S.

Contact MRL

Booking sheets open.

easyLab Pcell30 pressure cell: used in conjunction with our PPMS system. Cylindrical double-walled BeCu/super-alloy & WC Maximum pressure 3.0 GPa, pressure volume 2.9 mm dia. x 10 mm length, 6 Cu twisted pairs for AC transport measurements. Contact MRL Est. operational Oct. 2017.

Oxford Instruments cryomagnet.

{R vs. T or R vs. H}

±(15 + 2) T magnet. T range 1.4 to 300 K (0.3 K with He-3 insert). Contact PAG Operational

Oxford Instruments vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM).

{M vs. T or M vs. H}

±12 T magnet. T range 1.4 to 300 K. Sensitivity 5×10-6 emu (1×10-4 emu with furnace insert). Maximum sample size ~5 × 5 × 5 mm3 and 300 emu. Contact MRL Booking sheets open.

Oxford Instruments cryomagnet.

(ESR measurements)

±9 T magnet. T range 1.4 to 300 K. Variable frequency ESR measurements. Contact OAP Warm - ready for use.
2 ASR products orange cryostats. T range 1.4 to 300 K. Inserts: heat capacity (adiabatic method), ac magnetic susceptibility (N.B. 20-10000 Hz, zero d.c. magnetic field). Contact MRL Heat capacity insert awaiting repair.

Oxford Instruments Heliox He-3 insert.

{χa.c. vs. T or frequency}

 

Base temperature 320 mK with ac magnetic susceptibility stage. in use: final year project Testing.